April 07, 2010

NOAA admits skate 'concern' was off base

The commercially important barndoor skate — once the subject of a controversial scientific study that found it to be "close to extinction" — has been taken off the list as a "species of concern," the federal government has announced.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported the delisting, which removes the skate from a category of fish about which there is insufficient information to determine need for special protection.

An article on the delisting, made in February, was published in NOAA's "Changing Tides," and resolves for now at least a heated dispute about the status of the barndoor skate, the largest in the complex of skates found in the northwest Atlantic.

But fierce disagreement continues between NOAA and the commercial fishing industry about skate quota, which still faces dramatic cutbacks — from trip limits of 10,000 pounds in wings to 1,900 pounds.

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Hatteras Connection

Hatteras Connection is a community-based project dedicated to sustainable economic development and environmental stewardship, and working to ensure a future for new generations of watermen on Hatteras Island.